


Sight for Sour Eyes

by interchaellar



Category: Blue Lock (Manga)
Genre: Affectionate Itoshi Sae, Alcohol, Bar, Caring Itoshi Sae, Characters are legal to drink, Confession, Drunk!Reader, F/M, Itoshi Sae doesn't like his brother, Itoshi Sae is bad with emotions, Itoshi Sae is wealthy, Itoshi Sae spoils you, Itoshi Sae takes care of you, Nightclub, Reunion, Shidou Ryuusei is your best friend, You both haven't seen each other in years, You get ghosted, but that's okay he's doing his best, date, fem!reader - Freeform, he's kinda your sugardaddy here, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-22
Updated: 2021-01-22
Packaged: 2021-03-14 08:41:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28917747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interchaellar/pseuds/interchaellar
Summary: It had been years since you graduated high school, and you were invited to a reunion which was being held at a nightclub. You were planning on ditching until you heard rumors about Itoshi Sae attending. Ever since he moved to Europe, he's stopped responding to all of your messages, completely ghosting you. This was your chance to finally confront him about it.
Relationships: Itoshi Sae/Reader
Kudos: 47





	Sight for Sour Eyes

You looked around the hoard of people on the dance floor while taking a long sip on your drink, trying to see if a certain someone was here or not. 

There had been multiple news articles made regarding his visit here to Japan, but who knows whether or not those sources were true. Still, you can't help but get your hopes up even though you know the chances aren't in your favor. 

You weren't even that big on parties or night clubs, so the fact that you came here where it reeks of alcohol, smells of intoxicating cologne, and a concerning amount of people just to see a face is beyond you. 

He wasn't even an active texter, so it's rare having him respond to any of your messages. It didn't even help the fact that timezones were an additional issue to that. 

It had been years since you two properly talked. You've stuck by him for the entirety of high school, so him ditching and forgetting about you right after graduation had you upset for so long.

After a year of trying to get a hold of him through Line, he eventually just stopped responding to your messages. Sae didn't even leave you on read. it was _that_ bad.

You had your lips sealed on the glass, not even taking a sip at this point while you continued to look for him in the crowd. Your friends all ditched you to socialize with the people they haven't seen in years. 

Finally giving in, you heaved a breath and chugged down the remains of your drink. You took a deep inhale before wiping off the residue on your lips. 

If he can't even respond to your messages, what makes you think that he'll come tonight or even talk to you? 

While you made your way through the sea of people, out of nowhere, someone grabbed you by the wrist and pulled you out of the crowd. Not expecting the sudden pull caused you to become unstable on your heels, but luckily a figure caught you in time before any disaster could happen so early in the night. 

Looking up, you locked eyes with a pair of pink orbs. It was pretty dark and the room's only sources of light were flashing colors, so it took you a while to distinguish who it was. But with hair like his, how could you not recognize him instantly?

"Sh-Shidou?" You say as he pulled you up from his chest with a grin on his face. "So you do remember me." 

How could you forget someone who was known for skipping classes, beating the crap out of people, getting in trouble every second of the day, having the name "teacher's worst nightmare," someone who has crazy reaction time, and astonishing soccer skills? 

"I honestly didn't think you'd come." You tell him while you were just looking for someone who was abroad and hasn't been responding to your text for years. 

"Of course I would; it's a party after all! And let's face it, a high school reunion wouldn't be a reunion without me, right?" He nudged you gently with an elbow. 

You couldn't help but smile, finding it refreshing to have him around and not having to spend your night alone. "Did you just arrive?" You asked while the loud and unbearable music was starting to get louder and louder. 

"Fashionably late, wouldn't you say?" Ryusei says with confidence, showing off the suit he was wearing for the night. He was wearing an unbuttoned white dress shirt, his top revealing his collar bones slightly, with it tucked in some black slacks. 

Though it was rather simple, he looks great in it, and it fits him well. 

You ended up spending the whole night with Ryusei while he gossiped about many things he found out about the people in your grade. He wasn't even trying to hide it; he was pointing at people from afar and proceeded to tell you everything he knew. 

"I heard she got 2 kids now, can you believe it? She got pregnant the moment she left high school." He lets out while shaking his head, taking a shot.

He hissed as he put the now empty shot glass down. While he was doing great on the alcohol, you were a sip away from reaching your limit. "Okay, your turn now." 

You gently caressed the rim of your glass, letting out a hiccup. "I don't have anything, Shidou." You say like a whine, feeling the room spinning slowly. 

Ryusei sighed with a smile, "didn't know you were such a lightweight, (Y/N)." He laughs before gesturing to the bartender for another refill. While he was enjoying his night to the fullest, you were sat on a stool suffering. "You're just a heavyweight, don't insult my _drinking capabilities_ like that." 

Amused, he nodded his head, "alright, alright." 

He suddenly lets out a noise, turning himself on the stool to face you, "did you hear that Sae will be coming tonight?" You scoffed, "don't get your hopes up." 

Ryusei looks at you with a raised brow, "did Sae tell you he wasn't? Have you two been chatting all this time? How could you be hiding information like this from me all this time?!" He laughs loudly. 

With the alcohol getting to your system, you start talking sloppily and almost inaudible due to the loud music piercing your ears. "I can't hear you." He says, leaning his ear closer to you. 

"Forget about that guy, okay?!" You took the glass that was in Ryusei's hand and chugged it without a single thought while he looked at you with the biggest smile on his face. 

Patting you in the back as you coughed, he gives you a thumbs up. "That's the stuff, (Y/N)! Excuse me, we'll have four more of these, please." He tells the bartender, who nods. 

You regretted that decision instantly. Now you couldn't even see anything clearly. Feeling your stomach twist and turn, you quickly got up from the stool and started running to the restroom, Ryusei following you behind with a shot glass on hand. 

While you were throwing up your insides down the toilet, he was holding up your hair for you with a hand while he took another drink. A few women had to postpone their trip to the bathroom after seeing Ryusei at the end of the room, taking a shot while you were throwing up in the background. 

"It's okay, it's fine," he comforts you, but all you wanted to do was beat the crap out of him. Still, you should give him some credit for holding up your hair and being there for you.

You got back up on your feet and washed off the residue of throw up from your lips while he was looking around the girls' restroom with bright and curious eyes. 

"I'd say that this is my first time being in one, but this is my first time being in a girls' restroom where I actually have a valid reason." You glared at him through the mirror, but he was too busy in his own world. 

You started to wonder if that was the reason why he came with you in the first place but that thought quickly disappeared when the migraine was kicking in. 

"Fuck," you said as you leaned against the sink, taking in deep breaths. 

Ryusei hummed, "so I take that you won't be drinking anymore?" He asks innocently with the most mischievous grin on his face. 

You looked at him with glaring eyes. Before he could make another snarky remark, there was a loud crash happening outside followed by people yelling loudly. 

His face beaming instantly, "BAR FIGHT!" Ryusei exclaimed before rushing out of the restroom to check who was fighting and if he could find a way to join in on the fun, leaving you all by yourself without a word. 

You looked at the time on your phone.

2:56 AM

Heaving a breath, you decided it was finally time to go home. As you walked out of the restroom, you looked to where the ruckus was coming from and saw Ryusei standing on top of a table. 

Too focused on what Ryusei was about to do next, you bumped into something, causing you to face front as you took a step back from them. "Sorry," you bow your head to show respect before looking up to see who you had bumped into. 

Eyes widening, you couldn't even believe your eyes. 

Half-lidded eyes looking back at you, his expression never changed. He always had that uninterested and unreadable expression. He doesn't say a word to you, which only makes this more unbelievable. 

_Was the alcohol kicking in again?_

Due to the fight going on in the back, nobody seemed to have noticed Sae but you. "How are you..." you stopped. 

Turning his head in a different direction, he slowly shoved his hands inside his pockets. "You reek of alcohol. Have you been drinking all night?" He finally speaks, avoiding your gaze. 

You felt your blood slowly start to boil. "Are you for real right now?" 

Sae raises a brow but doesn't bother looking back at you. "You've kept me waiting and left me alone for years, only for you to comment on my smell?" 

"You're getting your emotions the best of you. Why don't you calm down for a second and let's talk it out—" 

You slapped his hand that was reaching for you. "Don't fucking touch me and pretend like you did nothing wrong." Tears start to form in the corner of your eyes as you felt your hands shaking. 

You started losing sight of yourself, your emotions taking over. 

"Let's step outside, and—"

Feeling a sudden wave of emotions and pain, you vomited on his suit before you could react quick enough to turn the other direction. Sae's eyes widened in disgust as he felt the warmness pour down his outfit of the night. 

Seeing the horrid sight in front of you caused you to blackout on the spot.

* * *

Your eyes slowly start to open due to the rays of sunlight slipping through the cracks of the thick drapes. Gathering up all the strength you had left in you to sit up, you failed and went back lying down. 

Your mouth was dry with thick saliva, and your head felt heavier than a boulder, but also as light as a feather at the same time. 

You hadn't had a hangover like this since college, and you didn't remember it being this painful. You were usually a responsible drinker, too, so you didn't know what got into you last night. 

Pulling up the sheet to cover your face from the sun, you start to recall everything that happened. 

You remembered everything clearly, but after you threw up in the bathroom, that's when your memory starts to fade. 

Then reality hit you all at once. You quickly sat up from the bed and looked at your surroundings. You couldn't recognize whose room this was, and so you start assuming the worst. 

Quickly getting up from the bed, you rushed over towards the window and checked where you were. 

Eyes squinting at first due to the sudden contact with the sun, your vision starts to settle in after a few seconds. You heaved a long breath, relieved that you were still in Japan and not in some foreign country. 

"Good morning," a voice greets you out of nowhere. 

Startled, you flinched and turned your head quickly to where the voice was coming from. 

Sae stood by the entrance with crossed arms on his chest, his back leaned up against the door frame. 

Out of words, you stood there stunned, not knowing what to say and do. Sure, you had a lot of things on your mind last night when you were waiting for him to show up, but now that he was right in front of you, you felt like a cowering prey facing its predator. 

Reality hitting you all at once, you didn't even know where to begin. 

In the corner of your eye, you saw yourself in the mirror. That's when you realized you were no longer wearing your dress from last night and was now wearing a white robe that ended inches below your knees. 

"D-Did you—" 

"I had one of the female staff handle the outfit change." He responded before you could finish. "I told them to handle your dress and have it dry cleaned last night, so we can pick it up when you leave," Sae added, his expression uninterested as ever. 

You slowly sat back down on the bed, taking a deep breath. You felt somewhat relieved that you ended up in Sae's care, but you also felt horrible for having him deal with you, especially after you—

Remembering the accident before you blacked out in the night club, you stood up and looked at him with widened eyes. 

"So you remember." 

Bowing your head down low, you apologized while also using this as a way to hide your flushed face, not wanting to look him in the eyes. If you could land a punch on the person you were last night, you would do so in a heartbeat. 

Sae heaved a breath, "it's fine, don't worry about it. The suit isn't the main issue here." You stood up straight with raised brows. 

He made his way towards the remote on the nightstand and turned on the television. And there it was. 

**BREAKING NEWS: FAMOUS SOCCER PLAYER, ITOSHI SAE, WAS CAUGHT IN PJY NIGHTCLUB GETTING PUKED ON BY A WOMAN.**

_"Sources say that this was a high school reunion. Who knew Itoshi Sae's visit back to Japan could lead to this mishap!"_

The room was silent, and only the reporters poking fun of the situation was filling the place up with sound. He then turned it off, putting the remote away before facing you once again. 

You were in a tougher position than you already were. Not only did you destroy his suit that probably costs more than your monthly salary, but also you ruined his reputation and made him a laughing stock.

You sat there, your fingers fidgeting as you tried to think of a way to make it up to him. "I'm really sorry for how I behaved last night; I was drunk and upset. I shouldn't have consumed that much alcohol when I knew that I was already beyond my limit." 

"I know this might not mean much to someone like you, but... is there any way I can make it up to you?" You ask with saddened eyes, feeling horrible. 

Sae hummed, turning his gaze away for a moment. 

"Why were you upset exactly?" His question causes you to look at him with raised brows, not expecting him to ask. 

"Not sure with how much you remembered last night, but you mentioned something about me pretending as if I did nothing wrong?" 

You let out a nervous laugh, completely forgetting that and not remembering yourself saying that at all. Although you didn't remember saying it, you do know the context behind it. 

Taking in a deep breath, you decided to just tell him everything. It's the least you can do.

"I guess I just couldn't handle seeing you last night, that's all. I thought you weren't coming and was fully convinced that you left everything in your past behind you, including me." You looked down at your hands as they played with the belt that tied your robe in place. 

Sae doesn't respond, slowly turning his head in a different direction with his arms folded before him.

"I'm ashamed with how I behaved, and if I could go back in time and change the past— I would." You said in a genuine tone. "That's it really, nothing more to it." You gently shrugged. 

Sae rubbed the back of his neck in silence. 

"Well, I did deserve it in a way." 

Your eyes widened as you looked up at him in shock. Sae suddenly walked out of the room you were in and came back with a bag in his hand. 

Handing it to you, you took it from him, confused. 

Sae turned his back on you and proceeded to walk back towards the door, "get changed. We leave the hotel in a few minutes." Before you could ask where he got the clothes from, he closes the door behind him.

You sat there for a few seconds, looking down at the bag he had just given you. You weren't familiar with the brand, and the bag looked extravagant. 

Taking off the robe you were wearing, you took out the things in the bag and noticed that he didn't just buy you a set of clothes; he had at least bought you three outfits to try on.

You looked through the clothes one by one with widened eyes. "This is too much..." you mumbled to yourself. 

There was a pair of trousers that go with this flowy top, an off-shoulder dress that stopped an inch above your knees, and lastly, a jumpsuit. 

Remembering that Sae was most likely waiting for you outside, you grabbed an outfit and changed into it as fast as you could. 

He waits in the living room area, scrolling through his phone as he waits for you to finish changing. He wasn't the type to use his phone much, so it's pretty much empty and useless. 

Sae didn't even have an official social media account because he despises the media, especially when they make the most ridiculous rumors that people somehow end up believing in without any proof. 

While he was staring blankly at the device in his hand, the door to the bedroom suddenly opens as you walked out. Sae, getting up from the couch, shoves his phone back inside his pocket. 

"Good, you're done changing. My manager is waiting and—" he froze when his eyes landed on you. 

You noticed him staring and did a little turn, "is it alright? Nothing's wrong with it, right? I tried my best changing as fast as I could." You explained with a sheepish smile. 

Sae looked at you with widened eyes, not knowing what to say. You start getting worried if you did something wrong. "I'm not wearing it wrong, am I?" 

Clearing his throat and attempting to fight off a blush, he shook his head. "No, it's perfect. Let's get going, shall we?" He walked towards the door and opened it for you. 

The two of you made your way to the elevator and headed to the ground floor. The short trip was painfully quiet. You tried your best to initiate short conversations to lighten up the mood, but Sae would end up giving you the driest response.

"Where are we headed?" You asked him while he texts his manager that you two were finally there. "We're going out for brunch since we haven't had breakfast yet, and it's almost 11 PM." 

First, the three sets of outfits, and now he's treating you to brunch? 

A black vehicle eventually arrives, and Sae gestures to you that that's the car. Before you could open the door yourself, he stops you. "Sit in the passenger's seat." 

Panicking, you nodded and made your way towards the front, but his manager opens the door for you. You give him a thankful nod before entering the vehicle. 

You sat down, and you were surprised that Sae was sitting on the driver's seat, buckling up his seatbelt. He stopped when he noticed you were staring. "Is something the matter?" 

You shook your head, "I-I was just expecting your manager to drive us, that's all." Sae grabs the gear stick and puts the car on drive, "I'm the one taking you to brunch. Unless you want to eat with my manager instead." He quirks up a brow, checking the mirrors and everything.

"I didn't mean it like that!" You defended. 

You managed to make Sae let out a soft chuckle before he started the car and drove off to your next destination. While he was focusing on the road, you couldn't help but admire him from the side. 

One hand on the wheel while the other was resting on his lap. Taking the opportunity, you looked at him from head to toe; then your eyes moved to the bracelets on his wrist. 

"You still wear them?" You asked with bright eyes. Sae glances in the direction you were looking at and nods. "Why wouldn't I?" 

You remember giving him those bracelets like it was yesterday. There was a festival happening in town, and you decided to buy him one. Originally you bought him one, but after realizing how much he liked bracelets, you decided to buy him another a year later.

Sae even joked and said that if you continue gifting him bracelets every year, he'll end up having enough to fill his entire arm up.

He eventually parks the car and turns the vehicle off. "Aren't you afraid of getting spotted by the press? Isn't it a bit dangerous to be out in public, especially if you're all over the news right now?" You asked him in a worried tone. 

Sae, unfazed, shrugged his shoulders as he pulled the key out. "You don't even have your manager or bodyguards with you!" You raise your voice lightly. 

"It's not like we're going to get stabbed. We're here to eat brunch, so let's enjoy it while we can." He said and finally leaves the vehicle. You froze, _"enjoy it while we can?"_ You repeat in your head. 

"You better leave the car, or else I'm locking you in there." 

You snapped out of your thoughts and did as told. You both entered the restaurant without an issue. Luckily no one seems to have recognized Sae yet. 

"Itoshi," he says to the lady before she brought you two in a function room. Without even looking at the menu, you already knew the food was going to cost a fortune. 

He pulled out a seat and gestures you to sit. Giving him a nod, you sat yourself down before he made his way to the vacant seat on the opposite side of the table. 

The same lady from earlier comes back with two menus in her hand. You take one from her before opening it. "I'll have the usual if it's available," Sae lets out while his eyes were scanning the menu. 

She nods with a warm smile, "of course, and for you?" She turned her head to face you. 

Panicking, you quickly flipped through the book and tried to look for something. "I'll have pancakes!" She writes that down and asks if you wanted any drink with it. 

You respond that water is fine, and she leaves the room. Usually, you'd take your phone in these awkward situations to avoid any human contact, but you didn't want to be rude to someone who bought 3 sets of outfits and is taking you out for brunch.

The most painful thing about this is that you've been trying to have a conversation with him since earlier, but his response would always be a phrase and in the driest way possible.

You suddenly felt a vibration coming from your sling bag. Fishing your phone out, you check who was calling you on a weekend. 

With furrowed brows, you looked at the unknown caller ID. You looked up, and Sae already had his eyes on you, waiting for you to answer the call.

Whenever you get calls from unknown numbers, you would try your best to avoid it since it's usually a scam anyway, but if it means avoiding this painful silence, you'll take anything at this point. 

Finally pressing on the answer button, having your phone close to your ear. "Hello?" 

"(Y/N)?! THANK GOD IT'S YOU." 

You pulled the phone away, checking if you had left it on speaker. To your surprise, it wasn't. You turned to Sae, and you were more than positive that he heard it from where he sat. 

"Who's this?" You asked. "GOD I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU ALL NIGHT, THEN PEOPLE OFFERED ME DRINKS, AND—" 

"Sh-Shidou?" You recognized that loud voice anywhere. 

He beams brightly, "yup! I had to ask one of your friends from last night if they had your number, and luckily they did! Where are you? You completely ditched me last night." 

You heaved a breath at his words. He says ditch, but he gave up looking for you after being offered drinks. 

"So, you got my number last night, and only decided to call me in the morning?" You folded an arm on your chest while Sae was thanking the lady for bringing your drinks. 

Ryusei lets out a fat scoff, "of course not! I only got it just now. Unfortunately, your friend's all passed out in my bed again, so I can't really wake them up unless you want to talk to them."

You let his words sink in your head slowly before you shake it, refusing to imagine anything further than what he had just explained. 

"So, where are you right now? Do you want to eat lunch together somewhere?" He asked. 

You slowly glanced at Sae, who raised his eyebrows at you. "I can't today, I'm sorry. What about another time?" 

Ryusei whines, "really? That sucks." 

You mouthed, "I'm sorry," to Sae, who just took a sip from his glass of water. 

"OH, RIGHT! Y'know that Sae dude, right? Of course you do, you were sulking about him all night. But anyways, did you check the news today?"

Your eyes widened in shock, letting out a nervous laugh. "N-No, why?" Ryusei laughs out loudly, "it's everywhere! Apparently, he did some last night, and ended up getting puked on! Can you believe it?!" He continues to laugh while you looked at Sae with a wide smile, laughing nervously. 

"I just saw it and didn't look into it much. I'll look at the video again and try to distinguish who owned that dress. Update you soon, bye-bye!" And just like that, he hangs up on you without another word. 

Your hand drops to your lap, feeling your soul leave your body. 

The last person you want to know about this is Ryusei, and your worst nightmare is going to happen. 

Sae cleared his throat, "you still keep in touch with Ryusei?" He asked, starting the conversation this time. 

You slowly shook your head, "I wouldn't say that. We met for the first time in years last night and I ended up spending my time with him." 

He hummed, "I guess that would make sense." 

You raised your brows at him, confused with what he meant by that. Sae heaved a breath, "the careless drinking?" 

"R-Right, sorry about that." You apologized. 

"So, how's Europe?" You changed the subject, trying to avoid that awkward silence from coming back. He nods, "it's going good."

You expected that answer from him. Even before he left Japan to do soccer professionally, he always hated being born here. He despised how "bad" the players were and that living and wasting his life in this country was just a waste of time. 

But still, a small part of you can't help but get hurt after he ditched everything to pursue his passion. Sure, that isn't necessarily a bad thing, but you'd expect a lot more from someone especially if you've supported and been with them since the beginning. 

If past you was facing Sae right now, you wouldn't know what they'd do. 

"I heard that your brother joined the Japan team as well." 

He raised his brows at you, "Rin talks to you?" You gently shrugged, "from time to time, I guess. I usually have to meet up with him because I need to send some orders to your parents." 

Sae lets out a hum, "interesting," 

"Now that I mention it, do you even visit your family here? Do they know that you're in Japan right now?" 

He shook his head, "they don't, and I don't want them to. Though, that would be useless now considering the ongoing news happening. I only visit during the holidays, but with tournaments being held on those dates, I have to spend it in Europe sometimes." 

You sighed, "someone's busy." 

"Well, I arrived here at 2 AM, and my flight was supposed to be at 9 AM, but I had my manager change it to 5 PM." He explained before taking another sip from his water.

You looked at him with wide eyes. _So, he was just planning on staying here for 7 hours?_

"Wait, so you only came here for the reunion?" You decided to ask. It takes him a while to answer, but he eventually nods. 

"I don't understand if I'm not mistaken, didn't you despise everything about Japan? Especially the people you went to school with? So, why would you bother—"

"I wanted to see someone, that's why." Sae cuts you off. 

The door suddenly opens and in comes the waiter from earlier with your meals. She puts them down, "would there be anything else?" She asks. 

Sae shook his head, "we're good, thank you." The waiter takes his word and leaves the room once again, leaving the two of you alone. 

While he was already starting on his food, you sat there stunned. You were in disbelief, and you didn't know what to say or think. Shaking your head, you start eating your meal and avoid overthinking his remark. 

During brunch, you and Sae caught up in a few things, and the awkwardness was finally over. Conversations flowed like normal, and it brought you this warmth you hadn't felt in so long. 

When you both finally finished your meals, he suddenly got up from his seat and started making his way towards the doors. "Wait, what about the payment?" You asked before getting up yourself to catch up to him.

"I already paid in ahead of time, don't worry about it." 

"Okay, but can I at least pay you back? I've caused you enough trouble." 

He hummed, "don't worry, you're already paying me back." You looked at him with raised brows before he suddenly grabbed your hand. "Hang tight and keep your head low." 

Confused, you watched him as he opened the door. The moment it starts to open, flashing lights started coming from the other room. Sae pushes through the crowd of paparazzi while pulling you behind him. 

_"Itoshi-san, is this your girlfriend?"  
"What do you feel about the news circling around?"  
"How long are you staying in Japan for?"  
"Is it true that the woman from last night was someone that went to the same high school as you?"_

Questions kept going on and on nonstop. While you were overwhelmed with the number of cameras and microphones around you, Sae remained calm and collective about the situation, refusing to open his mouth to anyone. 

He helps you enter the vehicle and makes sure you enter safely. Sae walks to the other side and opens the door, "you didn't get hurt, did you?" He asked, still stood outside. 

You nodded, "I'm fine," he lets out a relieved breath and nods. Sae then enters the vehicle and drives away from the paparazzi. 

You watched some of the paparazzi standing outside of the restaurant in defeat before turning your gaze to Sae, who had his eyes glued on the main road. 

"You do know this will only add more fuel to the fire, right?" You were surprised that he didn't care the slightest bit about his reputation. Sure, he might be in a European team, but this will spread worldwide. 

"It's not like I kicked someone in public." He said simply. 

You sighed with a smile, "I can't help but be jealous of how laid back you are. Kinda want the life you have, not gonna lie." He raised his eyebrows at your remarks. 

Leaning your side against the door, you chuckled. "Having so much money that you have nothing to worry about, and earning it while doing the thing you love."

"I just wake up in the morning and face the same problems." You didn't mean to sound so sad, but it just came out that way naturally. 

Sae takes in a deep breath and lets it all out. "My life isn't close to perfect." 

He turned the steering wheel to a different route while you waited for him to continue. "It gets boring too, and pretty lonely." 

You couldn't help but scoff, "you? Hating the idea of being lonely?" You laughed. "So, you're telling me Itoshi 'I-Hate-Peoples'-Guts-And-Would-Rather-Spend-My-Life-In-Hell' Sae, doesn't like being lonely?" 

"There's a difference between being alone and feeling lonely." He explained, his eyes still focused on the road. You both eventually made it to a red light, forcing him to stop the vehicle. 

You crossed your arms and hummed, "I guess you're right. But you have your manager with you, don't you?"

Sae heaved a breath, "you're not telling me to spend quality time with my manager outside of soccer, are you?" You giggled, "you wouldn't feel lonely as much, right?" 

He lets out a soft chuckle that leaves your heart warm. 

"You're leaving in a few hours, right?" You asked in a saddened tone. He nodded slowly. You looked out the window and admired the view, "not gonna lie, I miss this a lot." 

He raised his eyebrows, "miss what?" 

"Hanging out with you, obviously. Jeez, I'm still kinda upset about the fact that you stopped responding to my messages the moment you left Japan, but it's not like I can hold you back in doing what you love." You say as you took your phone out to check if you missed any emails from work. 

The traffic light turns green, and he starts driving again, letting your words process in his head silently.

"You... missed me?"

His question causes you to look up from your screen, turning the device off. You nodded, "of course I did." 

You sighed, "were my constant texts not enough for you? I stopped messaging after some time because you stopped responding to me, and I didn't want to bother you more than I already have." 

You stretched your arms and let out a yawn while Sae remained silent. 

"Not only that, but timezones are a thing too. And you're already a horrible texter before you even moved to Europe." You laughed. 

"Now that I think about it, I'm still causing you trouble to this day." 

Sae takes a short glance at you before looking back at the road to avoid any accidents. "You came here for the reunion to meet up with someone, I threw up on your expensive suit, and you ended up changing flights just to take care of me." 

You hummed, "I do wonder who you were planning on seeing." 

He suddenly stepped on the breaks violently, forcing you to move forward, but luckily you had a seatbelt on. You looked at him with wide eyes, confused. 

You slowly faced front and saw that a cat was crossing the road. He heaves a breath, "are you really that blind?" He asks. 

"Hey, you were the one that almost ran over a cat, not me." Sae leaned his head back to take in a deep breath, failing to hide his smile. You didn't know what he was smiling at, but it felt good seeing it. 

Your view gets ruined by the vibration that was coming from your bag. Checking the caller ID, you knew this didn't mean good. 

"Who is it?" Sae asked before he resumed driving. You let out a nervous laugh, "it's Shidou..." 

You already knew what was going to happen next. "Should I answer?" You looked at Sae with furrowed brows. He shrugs, "I don't think it'll hurt." 

Taking his word for it, you answer the call, and not even a second passed, Ryusei was already yelling at you. "YOU LIED TO ME!" 

You pull the phone away and sighed. _Not this again._

"GIVE YOUR PHONE TO SAE RIGHT NOW. I KNOW HE'S THERE." 

"I'm driving, I can't." He responded. Ryusei pauses, "you put me on speaker mode already?" 

Laughing nervously, you shook your head, "you're not on speaker mode..." 

"Well, in that case, Sae, where have you been? I was waiting for you all night, man. I was planning on taking shots with you!" 

The male ran a hand through his hair before resting his cheek on a fist, "I would've rejected your offer anyway." Ryusei lets out a whine, "oh, come on, where's the fun in that?" 

"Drinking irresponsibly can lead to alcohol poisoning. Also, if it weren't for you being a bad influence, (Y/N) wouldn't have ruined my suit." 

While you were in horror when the suit was brought up again, Ryusei was amused and started laughing hysterically. "I rewatched the video and recognized that dress somewhere! Also, you guys are all over the news." 

"Figured..." you said. 

Ryusei sighed, "why didn't you tell me you two were dating? Is that why you rejected hooking up with me last night?"

Your eyes quickly shot wide open as you turned to Sae, who was just as shocked as you were. "He's lying. He never asked—" 

Ryusei laughed once again, "if only I can see the look on both of your faces right now." You heaved a breath, getting tired of his jokes. 

Once he finally starts to settle down, Sae takes the phone from your hand, "we have to go now, it was nice talking to you." 

"Wait, I'm not done with—" he hangs up before Ryusei could finish his sentence, handing you back your phone with an upset look on his face. 

Sae starts entering a parking lot to a mall, looking for a vacant spot while you noticed how packed the place was. It's no surprise considering that it was a weekend. 

"Hey, uh, what are we doing here exactly?" You asked. He sees a car leave, which makes him stop the vehicle, "we're going to get my suit and your dress from the dry cleaners." He explained.

Sae then puts a hand behind your headrest and looks back, trying to park backward without trying to hit any cars. He had his head leaned a bit close to yours, making you feel butterflies. 

After what felt like an eternity, he finally stops and faces front. "Maybe I should go and fetch it? Since you are all over the news today. I think it's best if you lay low for now." You offered. 

Sae doesn't react to your request as he started bringing his keys and wallet with him, "it's fine," 

_Seriously, how can someone be so careless as him? Especially a celebrity._

He then opens the door, "you coming?" You looked at him with furrowed brows before heaving a breath, "the least you can do is wear some sort of disguise." 

"Do you not want to be seen with me that badly?" 

You squint your eyes at him, "you're jumping to conclusions. If the press was that desperate with you in that restaurant, the last thing I want is getting mobbed in the mall." 

Looking around the car, you decided to open the glove compartment, and lucky enough, there was a pair of shades in there. You take it and hand it to him, "here, this will do the trick." 

Sae takes it from you before putting them on, checking himself in the rear-view mirror. He lets out a sigh, "I don't think they're _that_ dumb." 

You shook your head with a pleased smile plastered on your lips, "at least you're somewhat covered, right?" 

He didn't look too happy about putting on some dumb shades, but if it made you feel comfortable that way, he decides to let his ego go for the time being. 

The two of you hopped out of the vehicle and made your way towards the mall. A few people were passing by, and none have recognized him. You beamed brightly at Sae, who simply sighed, still thinking that this plan wasn't going to work. 

You turned back to look at him once you made it inside, "do you know where it is?" You asked. 

He nods and starts walking while you followed behind him. You've never been to this mall, so everything was completely new to you. There were a few shops you recognized, and a few you've never even heard of. 

"Wait, what name did you register?" It takes him a while to respond before you came to the conclusion that he used his name. 

You heaved a breath, "how do you get away with stuff like this? I'll pick it up, and you'll just stay put, alright?" Sae turned his head, "you're acting like a better manager than my own manager. It's kind of a drag." 

You let out a short laugh, "maybe it's because you're actually listening to me." You said it as a joke, but his lack of response made it clear that you weren't wrong. 

He waits by a seating area while you entered the shop by yourself. The lady behind the counter was an old lady who looked like she was at around sixty to seventy. 

"How can I help you today, dearie?" She greets you with a smile. You smiled back, "I'm here to pick something up. Itoshi, please." You said the last part softly, and she nods, heading to the back. 

You waited patiently for her return while also keeping an eye on Sae, checking on him through the glass to see if he was getting mobbed yet. 

"Here you go," she comes back with two things: one being his suit, and the other was your dress. "Are these the right ones?" You nodded, giving her the money Sae lent you and saying your goodbyes. 

You walked out and saw that someone was talking to Sae. Quickly rushing over there, you checked to see what was happening. 

He eventually gets up from the seat he was on and walks over towards you with his hands deep inside his pockets. "What happened? You weren't recognized, were you?" 

He hums, "I thought I was, but the lady just wanted a place to sit." He gestures to the woman, who was now seated on the seat he just left. 

You heaved a relieved breath, "that's good." Sae takes the clothes from you, but before you could walk back to the exit, he stops you. You looked at him with raised brows. 

"I still have a few shops to visit." He says. 

"I don't mind going with you, but just like you said, isn't the disguise only good for a short amount of time before people start realizing it's you?" You asked. 

Sae looked around him to think before turning his gaze back at you, pushing the shades up with his fingers, "I haven't been recognized yet." 

You couldn't believe what you were hearing. The more you spent time with him, the more you felt sorry for his manager, having to deal with him and his bullshit. 

Considering that he had to move the schedule of his flight because of you, you decided to let him win this one. "Fine, but we're leaving once it gets too hectic, alright?" 

He agrees, and you both start walking to the shops he mentioned. As expected from a celebrity, he was entering places that didn't have many people because of how expensive the items were.

They were all clothing shops, you noticed. 

While he was looking around the shop, you were following him by his tail, finding stores like these intimidating; you didn't even want to touch a single thing just in case you somehow managed to damage it.

"Pick something you like." He says out of nowhere, suddenly taking his shades off and letting them hang on the collar of his shirt. You looked at him with wide eyes, "what are you—"

You lean closer to him, eyeing the staff, "if anyone sees you in here, it's going to get messy." You whispered. 

"Relax, this place is infested with guards, and the staff has it covered." He sits down on one of the chairs, taking his phone out from his pocket. 

Before you could complain, a lady walked up to you, "please step this way to the changing room." 

You didn't know what happened after that, but the next thing you knew, you were in the changing room with ten different outfits with more coming. 

He was taking a sip from the wineglass in his hand, his eyes looking closely at the outfits displayed before him by the staff. He points at one of the things they were holding up, "that one." 

While he was having a luxurious time outside, you were stuck in the fitting room with an overwhelming amount of clothing. _"How did you get yourself into this mess?"_ You thought.

After what felt like forever, you finally saw an outfit that fits you perfectly. The lady that was helping you watched you with bright eyes, "you look amazing," 

Sae was conversing with the staff until he saw the curtains from the fitting room you were in getting pushed to the side. 

You peaked your head out slightly to see that there was a whole audience waiting for you to come out. Sae, seeing the discomfort in your eyes, puts the wineglass away and goes to you instead. 

Sae stood there with wide eyes, completely frozen at the sight of you. 

You wore a white dress that was tight around the waist, complimenting your body shape as it flowed down to your knees. The dress has a v-neckline, but it wasn't too deep to be considered revealing.

He looks at you from head to tie, feeling the fabric in his hands with a hum. "I'll take this dress." He says to one of the staff members, who quickly nodded their heads.

"Alrighty, please change back, miss." She says to you. 

You stood there for a minute to think, wondering why he was spending so much money on you. Was this his way of apologizing? What was he plotting? 

The lady brings the dress to the counter and gets it scanned. "That'll be ¥107800," she says with a smile before Sae takes out a card from his wallet.

You felt your soul leave your body the moment you heard the price. It boggles your mind that people can actually afford these types of things like it's nothing to them. 

Who knew a dress could cost so much more than your credit card. 

Sae takes the bag from them and walks over to you with raised brows. Your face had gotten completely pale and didn't even look like you were breathing anymore. 

"Are you—" 

You take the shades that were hanging on the collar of his shirt and put them on him, "don't say a word." 

"Okay, but we still haven't bought you shoes—"

"Why are you spending so much money on me? Wasn't I the same girl that destroyed your night? Or the girl that ruined your expensive suit?" You let out finally while he stares at you in confusion, not knowing why you were upset. 

"I don't even know why you're being so generous to me after pretending like I never existed in your life for years." You say softly, hugging your arms as you looked down. 

He gently shrugged his shoulder, "it's because I like you." Your eyes widened, feeling your heart raise. 

Sae starts to move forward, "are you hungry? We could get something to eat before we leave." He changed the topic. You felt a wave of emotions wash over you all at once. 

Sighing, you matched his pace, "fine, but I'll buy the food this time, got it?" You folded your arms on his chest. "Can I help you with the bags in any way? You're kind of..." you point at his hands that were filled with stuff.

"No, it's all good." 

You looked around the mall while he trailed behind you. "I saw it here somewhere..." you mumbled to yourself before you saw it in the corner of your eye, the bright yellow sign. 

Sae watched you order from outside before you came back with two cones of ice cream. He looks at the cone you were offering to him, "I'm not allowed." 

You raised your eyebrows, "what do you mean?" You said while licking on yours. "On a strict diet right now since we have a tournament next week." 

"Crap, I should've asked beforehand." You apologized, thinking of another solution. You let out a sad laugh, "it's fine, I'll just eat it myself—"

Sae, putting everything in his left hand, grabs the ice cream from you with his right and starts eating it. "Idiot, you don't have to." You scold him. 

Ignoring your words, he starts walking towards the exit. He puts everything you just bought in the back of the car while you waited for him in the passenger's seat. 

Stupidly enough, his disguise worked. He gets on the driver's seat, taking off the shades he was wearing instantly. You both decided to chill for a while since he was still eating. Sae didn't like the idea of eating while driving, and this was a perfect way to talk to him.

Before you could ask him anything, your phone starts vibrating. Taking it out from your bag, you noticed that it was Ryusei. Your eyes quickly widened at the fact that you had missed over 40 calls from him.

Slowly picking up his call, "Shidou, please just—"

"That was incredibly rude, are you avoiding me that much?" 

"No, I swear I wasn't. I was just busy and I didn't feel my phone—" you tried to explain to him but he just mimicked your voice. "Tell your shitty boyfriend that I hate his guts for hanging up on me." 

"We're not dating, Shidou." He groans at your reply, "so you stayed in his hotel, went out for brunch, and are hanging out together right now?" You blinked, wondering how he got all of that information. 

"You're literally all over the news." 

"Well, who said it was real?" 

Ryusei was talking much calmer this time, so Sae couldn't hear a word he was saying. "Whatever. You owe me lunch, though. Especially since you ditched me for some guy you're not even dating." 

"Fine, fine, if it'll make you shut up, I'll take you out to lunch. I have to go now." You say your goodbyes to each other before you finally hung up on the phone. 

A wave of relief washed over you instantly. Who knew a call could drain you so much, and now you have to deal with Ryusei. 

"You're buying him lunch now?" He asked. You slowly nodded, "he was upset that I rejected his offer to hang out today and wouldn't shut up about it." 

"He ditched you last night unsupervised when he knew you were drunk; why are you paying for his lunch?" 

You shrugged, "maybe he's just feeling lonely." Sae looks at you with half-lidded eyes, a brow raised, "then what about my needs?" 

You were startled, quickly averting your eyes from his strong gaze as you laughed nervously. "W-Well, we're together right now, aren't we?" You scratched the back of your head. 

Sae looks around to think before he finally lets out, "how would you react if I asked you to come to Europe?" 

You blinked a few times, staring at him. He wasn't driving, so he had this whole attention on you. You gulped, letting out a sheepish laugh, "I-I don't know if you're being serious or not." 

"I could rent you a house and everything until you'll be able to look for a new job. Or you could just be my new manager." He explains in detail as if he has thought about this before.

"But you already have a manager." You responded but he shrugs, "I could always fire him. So, would you say yes or?" 

You swallowed, trying to keep your composure. This was all happening so suddenly and out of nowhere. You couldn't even tell if he was joking or not, not wanting to risk humiliating yourself. 

"I-I mean... personally, I'd say no just because it's so sudden." Your hand starts to play with the ends of your clothes, "especially since I have an okay-paying job and I don't really plan on leaving Japan any time soon." 

Sae turned his head to face front, listening to your answer closely. "Listen, Sae, I like you, alright? I don't know if it's the same way I did years ago, but..." 

You take in a deep breath, "just like I said last night, you can't just walk back in my life and expect that everything is normal. You completely ghosted me, and it still hurts me to this day, even if it's a little bit."

Folding your arms on your chest, you looked out the window, "I can't blame you for being busy, but you need to understand my situation as well."

"I'm not going to sugarcoat my words because, to be frank, this will probably be the last time we see each other." 

Sae looks at you with wide eyes. 

"Just like you said, you only came here to see someone, and you'll be off, right?" He only nodded his head without a verbal response. "Well, after that, what happens next?" 

"If you came back here expecting that I'd welcome you back with open arms, well, you're wrong. If you hadn't kept me waiting for more than five years, maybe I would've." 

You felt your chest get a hundred times lighter, having those words said to him after keeping them inside you for so long. You wouldn't even be surprised if Sae kicked you out of his car right now; you were just glad to have that out of your system. 

"I have been with you for the past few years." He responded. 

You froze for a second before looking at him with raised brows. He takes in a deep breath, he wasn't planning on telling you, but he has no choice now.

"I'm not the best when it comes to texting. You know that more than anyone else. And to be honest, me seeing your texts only made me want to come back to Japan." 

"Just like my short trip today, this isn't the first time." You didn't know what he meant by that. "In my spare time and whenever I felt like it, I'd take a short trip here and stay for a good two to four hours before heading back to Europe." 

"I came here when you mentioned your first promotion, heard that you did great in a big presentation, came if I felt like it, and many more." 

You looked at him in disbelief. "If you did do all of that, why didn't you ever approach me? If you can take hours out of your day to come to visit me instead of responding to my messages, you could've at least stopped by and talked." 

You didn't know what kind of emotions you were feeling. Rage? Sadness? Relief? Joy? You couldn't think straight. 

"If I did, I would've ended up staying longer than I originally planned." 

You think about it more until something in your head clicked. "You... you were planning on doing that today too, weren't you?" Sae gets silent, his eyes turning in a different direction. 

"If I hadn't bumped into you and ruined your suit... you were just going to leave without even talking to me. Is that right?" Your voice starts to shake. 

Not wanting to look at him anymore, you looked away, finishing off your cone. 

"If that were the case, couldn't you have just left me in the hotel alone? If you didn't want to talk to me that badly, why didn't you just leave? I'm surprised you even bothered to help me." 

"I only avoided you because I thought it would be the best for the two of us—"

"And what made you come to that conclusion?" 

He takes in a deep breath, "you have every right to be mad at me, I understand. But this time, try understanding _my_ situation."

Nodding, you decided to listen. 

"I didn't avoid you because I wanted to. I avoided you because I needed to. And regarding me helping you, how do you think I would feel if I went back to Europe without saying a word to you when we already met last night?"

Sae pinched the bridge of his nose out of frustration, "I can't even trust Ryusei to watch over you for _one_ night." You raised your eyebrows, "Shidou was in on this?"

He shook his head, "he didn't know I was coming, but I did have a feeling that you were going to end up with him for the whole night."

"How long and how much have you been spying on me exactly?" 

Sae turned to look at the window and hummed. "I wouldn't necessarily call it spying, but... I guess you can say once or twice a month. It differs on my schedule." 

"So, for all this time, you'd go all through this much trouble, like, visiting Japan and only staying here for a few hours, just to see me instead of responding to my texts? Only for you to not say a single word to me?"

He rests his chin on his knuckles, "now that you word it that way..." 

You couldn't help but let out a laugh while he watched you. "Sorry, I can't help but find it funny that you'd rather travel thousands of miles just to check how I'm doing instead of asking me through Line." 

Sae heaved a breath, now finding this conversation embarrassing since you're pointing out how ridiculous it sounds. "Well, how am I supposed to know whether or not you're really okay? It's just some lame text bubbles." He sulks, only making you more amused. 

"We could just video call. A feature exists, you know." 

He clicked his tongue, "talking to you through a box is stupid." 

"You hate messaging people _that_ much?" You continued the tease the male, who now had his arms folded on his chest. 

"After I stopped messaging you, what did you do next? Did you hire some spy to check up on me?" 

He looks the other way with squinted eyes, visibly upset with your teasing, "I'd rather die than tell you." 

"Aww, c'mon. Pretty please? I'll stop, I promise." You cooed, giving him a bright smile. 

He thinks more about it and decides that he might as well; it's not like he has much to lose anyway. "I asked Rin—" 

You cut him off with a laugh, "y-you asked your brother?! The person you want to avoid at all cost more than anyone in this world?" You couldn't believe your ears.

Sae gets more tired and attempts to leave the vehicle, but you grabbed his arm before he could take a step out. "No, no, wait— I was just surprised." You giggled, "it's cute, don't worry." 

He looks even more offended than before, "cute?" 

You couldn't help but squeeze his arm, treating him like a little kid that wanted to be seen as a grown-up. "I'm 23 years old, stop it." You finally leaned back on your seat, letting go of him.

"I'll be moving apartments in two weeks. Will I be expecting you to watch me through my window or?" He sighs, "you're making it sound like I know where you live, and I don't." 

You quirked up a brow, "is that a request?" Sae groaned loudly, regretting his decision more and more while you giggled at his reactions. 

"No, but seriously, are you planning on visiting again, or will you be busy?" You finally dropped the teasing and asked him a genuine question. Sae took a quick mental check, "I have a tournament next week, so it depends." 

"If we win all the games, we're heading to America." 

"Right, I completely forgot," you said, disappointed that you won't be able to see him for a while. But then again, you hadn't seen him in years until today, so you're sure you can manage. 

"I did ask if you wanted to come with me—"

"It's a no, again." You shut him down lightly with a warm smile. "I'm not some charm you can put in your pocket and bring around Sae. I have a job and a home here." 

He looked into your eyes as you admired his pretty and long lashes, "You say that as if I wasn't already aware." 

"Fair enough, fair enough." Sae looked down at his hands that were on his lap. "Aren't you tired of waiting for me? I know you gave up the moment you stopped texting me, but..." 

You hummed before nodding, "I did give up waiting for you. There's no doubt about it, but there was always a small part of me that was dying to meet you again."

"Like, a tiny ray of hope." You chuckled softly, "but to be honest, I haven't really met any guy as interesting as you." You use your palms as cushions for the back of your head.

Sae looked up from his hands to look at you with wide eyes. 

Tilting your head slightly, you fought off a smile, "well, there is Shidou, but he's a different type of interesting. I'm sure you know." 

He reached for your hand and brought it to his lips, planting a soft kiss on your knuckles as his eyes looked at you with ease. 

Your face flushed almost instantly. "I'm sorry," he apologizes. 

You hated how easy you were. Years and years of cursing this man for ghosting you, and here you are still feeling butterflies for him.

It didn't take long for your sentimental moment to get ruined by a ringtone. He fished his phone out of his pocket to check who was calling him. 

"Who is it?" You asked. 

He takes in a deep breath and exhales, picking up. "What? I'm in the middle of something." 

You watched him from the side, assuming that it was most likely his manager. "I have no time for jokes right now. You're wasting my time. I only have a few—" 

"Right now?" He stopped. 

Sae glances at you for a short second before turning his gaze away, "didn't I tell you to change it?" His tone starts getting aggressive, causing you to worry. 

"I'll call you back." And just like that, he ends the call. Sae ran a hand through his hair in frustration, taking in a deep breath before he rubbed his temple. 

"What happened?" You asked. 

Sae starts the car, "my sponsors heard about the news and found out that I'm in Japan, so they changed my flight to 1 PM without informing me or my manager." 

"Wait, wait, wait, so, you're telling me, you weren't even supposed to be here? Your flight is in 20 minutes from now then." You raised your voice slightly. He sighs, "they don't usually care where I go as long as I perform great in games." 

"I have a feeling this is their first time catching you in the act." 

"I can neither confirm nor deny that." 

He was driving a bit faster than a while ago, so you knew this was something big if Sae himself is in a rush. "What's the plan now?" 

"I'm gonna have to drive you home because I don't want to bring you to the airport with me, and then—"

"Why not?" 

"The last thing I want you to do is getting in some stranger's car and pay them." He responded, eyes glued to the main road as he drove past a few cars. 

"It's... a taxi, Sae. That's their job? Plus, I just really want to go with you." He stays silent, trying to think. "You owe me one! You didn't even tell me you had moved to Europe a week after you did." 

"Fine, fine." 

He starts driving to the airport where his manager was, waiting for him. His manager already had all of Sae's belongings, so there was no need to worry. 

You both jumped out of the parked vehicle and made your way inside the airport. While you two were walking alongside one another, he suddenly grabbed your hand and held onto it. 

"There you are! You said you'd call back—"

"I had no time." He cuts him off. Sae then hands you the keys to his car, "take the car to my brother, I'm sure you know where he lives." You looked at with raised brows. "It's better than letting you take the cab." He lets out.

"Before that, I left something for you in the back, so make sure to pick it up and bring it home with you." He instructed while you were processing everything slowly. 

_"Last call for Tokyo to Amsterdam. Tokyo to Amsterdam. Gates closing in five minutes."_

"Wait, what exactly did you—"

"Itoshi-san, we need to go." His manager cuts you off. Sae nodded with a sigh, annoyed that he had to leave so early. 

He takes a step closer to you and gives you a gentle kiss on the forehead. "I'll be back, alright?" He gives you a reassuring smile. Your face flushes as you nodded. 

Sae lands one last peck on the back of your hand before finally saying his goodbyes. You waved at him until his back was facing you as he boarded the plane. 

As instructed, you went back to the parked vehicle and opened the trunk, revealing three paper bags. One was the bag he handed you in the morning with the three outfits. And the other was the dress he got you from the mall.

You then moved to the next bag, which was much smaller than the other two. Taking it out, it was a small black box with gold lettering engraved on it. Carefully opening up the box, it was a golden necklace with the prettiest design. 

You smiled warmly at the gifts he left you, wondering when he had the time to buy you a necklace.

The moment you closed the trunk, you felt your phone vibrate. Taking it out from your bag, you read the notification. 

[ **LINE** • 4 secs ago ]  
**Itoshi Sae**  
_See you on our next date._

You smiled lightly at his message before you watched the plane take off.


End file.
